[1] Chapter xi of volume i of the original London edition.—Ed.
[2] French for "earless." An Osage chief of this name who had been to Washington, returned to his tribe in Pike's company in 1806. See Coues, Expeditions of Zebulon M. Pike, index.—Ed.
[3] This national trait of extreme hospitality, with respect to the disposal of the wife, is common to many nations in the various parts of the world; as amongst the African negroes, and the Laplanders; and, agreeably to the records of history, amongst the Romans, Spartans, and others.—James.
[4] The allusion is indefinite. In the reign of Augustus a law was enacted under which conviction for this offense was liable to be followed by confiscation and banishment; as habitual prostitution was not so punished, Roman matrons often chose public shame to avoid the penalties of the law. A law of Justinian made the adultery of a wife punishable by whipping and confinement in a convent during life, unless the husband remitted the confinement within two years. See Dorsey, "Omaha Sociology," in Bureau of Ethnology Report, 1881-82, p. 364.—Ed.
[5] Mana Genita, or Genita Mana, in ancient Italian mythology the goddess who presided at the birth and death of human beings.—Ed.
[6] This custom is the same with that of the ancient Jews under the law of Moses, for which we have the authority of St. Luke. "Moses wrote unto us, if any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother shall take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother." And Elphinstone, in his account of Caubul, informs us, that among the Afghauns, as among the Jews, it is thought incumbent on the brother of the deceased to marry his widow.—James.
Comment by Ed. The number of Indian customs bearing a similarity to those of the Hebrews led to the now discarded theory that the former are descendants of the "lost ten tribes" of Israel.
[7] A mode of expression common to the Indians, who are in the habit of communicating their ideas by allusions to the senses.—James.
[8] Humboldt observes of the natives of New Spain, that "their head never becomes gray. It is infinitely more rare to find an Indian than a negro with gray hairs; and the want of a beard gives the former a continual air of youth. The skin of Indians is also less subject to wrinkles." In this latter character, at least, it will be perceived, that our observations on the Missouri Indians do not coincide with those of the Baron, respecting the natives he describes. Ulloa informs us, that the symptoms of old age are a beard and gray hairs. But the natives of the region of the Missouri have certainly no greater density of beard, when advanced in age, than during their earlier years, though it is equally certain, that owing to a neglect of personal neatness, their beard is suffered to grow; yet, agreeably to our opportunities of judging, its ordinary character of sparse distribution is never changed.—James.
Comment by Ed. Catlin notes the common occurrence of gray hair among the Mandan as a peculiarity of that people; see Smithsonian Report, 1885, part ii, p. 82. However, it was not unknown in other tribes.